1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support apparatus for use with a vehicle having a brake drum and for supporting the brake drum as the brake drum is removed from the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
The brake drums of large vehicles including trucks, farm equipment, and construction equipment, etc., must be periodically and routinely removed for inspection and repair, etc. Such brake drums alone often weigh well over 100 pounds. Perhaps, the most common method of removing and replacing such heavy brake drums is for one person to physically lift a brake drum from an axle of the vehicle, take the brake drum to a work area, and lift the brake drum back onto the axle of the vehicle. Such a physical method is highly dangerous to both the worker and the mechanical components, extremely tiring for the worker especially when it is considered that a typical large truck may require four separate brake drums to be removed and replaced, and very time consuming. Further, to remove and inspect such brake drums, the entire wheel and wheel hub must also be removed with a combined weight of several hundred pounds.
A number of apparatuses have been developed for supporting and/or facilitating the removal and replacement of the heavy wheels of trucks, farm equipment, airplanes, construction equipment and the like. A preliminary patentability search conducted in class 414, subclasses 426, 427, 428 and 429 produced the following patents:
Manley, U.S. Pat. No. 1,523,486, issued Jan. 20, 1925, discloses a "wheel truck" including a wheeled base for being rolled along the floor of a garage or other workshop, a pair of projecting fingers 54 coupled to the base for being moved to a position on either side of a truck wheel, a hoist means for raising the fingers 54 until the truck wheel is supported by the fingers 54, and securing means for securing the truck wheel relative to the fingers 54 s that the truck wheel can be rolled about the garage or workshop on the "wheel truck" after the fingers 54 are raised sufficiently to support the truck wheel.
Thames, U.S. Pat. No. 2,232,744, issued Feb. 25, 1941, discloses a "wheel truck" having a saddle plate 24 for supporting a wheel, and having a hook assembly 29 for securing the wheel in place upon the saddle plate 24. To use the Thames "wheel truck," the vehicle is first jacked up to lift the desired wheel off the ground. The "wheel truck" is then rolled under the wheel until the wheel rests on the saddle plate 24. The wheel is then secured to the saddle plate 24 with the hook assembly 29. The wheel can then be disconnected from the vehicle and the "wheel truck" with the wheel secured thereto can be moved laterally from the vehicle to the desired location.
Ross, U.S. Pat. No. 2,326,684, issued Aug. 10, 1943, discloses a parking dolly especially for use in parking airplanes and the like. The Ross parking dolly includes a wheeled frame for being rolled along the floor of an airplane hanger or the like, a pair of oppositely facing shoes 47 coupled to the frame for engaging opposite lower portions of a wheel of the airplane, and means for raising the shoes 47 until the airplane wheel is ifted off the floor and supported by the parking dolly. By supporting part of or the complete weight of the airplane on two or more such parking dollies, the plane can be moved in any direction over the floor.
Schildmeier, U.S. Pat. No. 2,490,233, issued Dec. 6, 1949, discloses a lift structure for use in lifting and positioning truck wheels for mounting purposes. The Schildmeier lift structure includes a wheeled base, a pair of opposed rollers 18 coupled to the base for supporting a truck wheel, and a hydraulic jack for raising the rollers 18 to allow the truck wheel supported by the rollers 18 to be properly mounted onto a truck. The truck wheel can be rotated upon the rollers 18 to bring the truck wheel into proper registration with an axle of the truck.
Barosko, U.S. Pat. No. 3,145,859, issued Aug. 25, 1964, discloses a jack for removing heavy wheel and tire assemblies from trucks and the like. The Barosko jack includes a wheeled base, arms 58, 60 for engaging and supporting a wheel and tire assembly, and a hydraulic jack 16 for raising the arms 58, 60.
Asher, U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,531, issued Sept. 20, 1988, discloses a device for removing, transporting, and replaoing large vehicle wheels and the corresponding brake drums. The Asher device includes a wheeled frame, a pair of wheel lifting arms 32, a brake drum lifting arm 36, and a hydraulic jack 42 for lifting the wheel lifting arms 32 and brake drum lifting arm 36. In operation, a truck is raised until its tire is free from the ground. The wheeled frame is then pushed into place so that the truck tire resides between the wheel lifting arms 32. The nut which secures the wheel to the truck axle is then removed and the hydraulic jack 42 activated to raise the wheel lifting arms 32 and truck wheel until the tension between the truck wheel and truck axle is relieved. A safety chain is wrapped around the wheel to secure the wheel to the wheel lifting arms 32. The device, with the truck wheel secured thereto and with the brake drum secured within the wheel, can then be rolled away from the truck. The wheel can then be lowered to the ground and removed from the device. The wheeled frame can then be pushed around to the opposite side of the wheel and the brake drum lifting arm 36 moved to engage the brake drum. The hydraulic jack 42 is then activated to raise the brake drum lifting arm 36 to allow the brake drum to be removed from the truck wheel.
Nothing in the prior art discloses or suggests the present invention. More specifically, nothing in the prior art discloses or suggests a brake drum support apparatus including, in general, base means for resting on a support surface; drum cradle means for cradling a brake drum of a vehicle while the brake drum is removed from the vehicle; and drum cradle brace means for attaching said drum cradle means to said base means.